


Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone a Rework

by THancke99



Series: Harry Potter a Complete Rework (Harry/Hermione) [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Feels, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Physical Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:20:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23994394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/THancke99/pseuds/THancke99
Summary: This is not a completely new rewrite of the books but rather a rework of the original works from JK Rowling. It will contain what I feel is more realistic actions of the characters and the story will change as the plot demands but, however, there won’t be major differences from Canon. Also please note that there will be minimal romance in this book as it is highly unlikely that 11-year-old kids will find love beyond that of the platonic level, though there will be hints and foreshadowing towards it. The characters will also evolve over the books but, their core principles will remain the same for most of them. And they shouldn’t change in any inconsistent ways at all.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Amelia Bones
Series: Harry Potter a Complete Rework (Harry/Hermione) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1836871
Comments: 18
Kudos: 25





	1. 4th Privet Drive

**Author's Note:**

Note

This story has elements similar to the works that are Moments in Love by Gandalfs_Beard and also The Totally Realistic Series of Magical Events series from WaskeHD both of which are well worth the read. The way that Harry is characterized in this story will be particularly from JK Rowling's characterization of Harry before he met Ron. This may deviate from the characterization that you will find after he met Ron but, I believe that it is highly unlikely that Harry's ideals and his values would change after meeting something on the train. I personally believe that Harry's portrayal during the books was akin to what may have been originally intended for Ron but was watered down to suit Harry's narrative.  
As such, we will see a Harry who takes a much greater interest in reading, as it was referred to in the books that Harry stayed in the libraries during his days with the library to escape the Dursleys’ and his gang, he will also be keen on learning everything there is to know about magic and the world around it. He will also be keen to do his homework a lot more punctually, a characteristic implied by JK Rowling and not dissimilar from Hermione but totally different from that of Ron. We will also see a Harry who is very consistent in the way he acts regarding being very anti-bully, anti-racist, anti-slavery and a person who strives for equality and not to mention being smarter than he behaves in the books sometimes particularly due to Ron influencing him.

In particular, there will be no inaccurate Out-of-Character (OOC) moments where Harry goes from treating someone like Dobby as an equal and feels strongly about the enslavement of house-elves, to the point where he frees Dobby from said enslavement before he is greatly influenced by Ron to believing that Hermione is crazy for working for the freedom of the House-elves just two books later. And there will be no moments in which Harry isn't smart enough to have an inkling of suspicion when he gets sent an extremely expensive broom when an alleged mass-murderer is out for his hide. There will also be no moments where Harry tries out a spell written in the margins of an admittedly useful book on a person without testing it beforehand on an object beforehand i.e. could've tested it in the Room of Requirement.

To summarize Harry will have far more in common with Hermione whether this is their goals for their time in Hogwarts, their intellect and academic drive, and also their moral values. This isn't one where Harry is a clone of Hermione, where he has an almost obsessive need to study and read, in other words, a bookworm or nerd if you will. But rather Harry will still hold on to his intuitive/gut feeling style of intellect rather than one based on recall of books, his memory will also be normal and not eidetic/photographic, he will also have some moments of impulsiveness and anger issues which are hallmarks of Harry's persona but, overall this will affect little due in a way to him being more rational in his decisions and having Hermione to act as a voice of reason.

The same will also apply to Hermione, who will be a lot more consistent as a character. She will display the trust that she has that Rowling had shown until the abomination that is the 6th book where she tends to trust Harry's friendship and instincts. There will not be moments where she does things like turning in an admittedly suspicious broomstick to McGonagall behind Harry's back without having discussed it with him or doing irrational things like outright refusing to believe that Harry's deduction that a Death Eater's son who has entirely too much respect for him wouldn't follow in his footsteps in becoming a Death Eater.

And most importantly there will be nothing stupid like Hermione falling for an idiot with a foot in his mouth who has no respect for her as a person only until he needs her to do his homework nor will she go to a party with a sexual predator in the making jock just to make the aforementioned idiot jealous.  
The characterization of Ron may be taken as bashing but, quite frankly this will be based on Rowling's initial characterization of Ron during the books. As such, Harry's relationship with Ron will be decidedly less strong, in other words, he will tend to gravitate towards like-minded individuals like Hermione.

Severus Snape's portrayal will differ from Canon due to what I believe again to be inconsistencies within Rowling's writing. Snape is more likely to be sympathetic to Harry when he sees how academically driven, he is which ultimately reminds him of Lily. And add in the discovery of Harry's past abuse, something he can relate to thanks to his father, will be overall more helping and caring of Harry. The way he teaches will also be different due to the fact that Dumbledore not permitting a borderline abusive teacher, albeit verbally, teaching under his watchful eye.

This will also contain strong mentions of abuse, both physical and mental but, thankfully not sexual, of Harry from the hands of the Dursleys. The canon books originally had these mentions but were removed at the urging of her publishers who had her alter her earlier drafts. This is included due to it being Canon and also for sake of the plot as this plays a large part in the way that Harry is as a person and thus is overall important to the premise.

There will also be mentions of characters who have been adjusted due to tidbits that Rowling herself has revealed or things to do with more consistent characterization as they were originally intended to in the beginning. These changes will affect Dumbledore and Fudge quite greatly and also Snape in particular. Some characters will also be gay or bisexual largely due to Rowling's claims that the Harry Potter series supports LGBTQ.

This fanfiction may contain what some may perceive as overpowered Harry but, it has always been implied that Harry was inherently powerful as a child and I believe that his abuse played a great role in limiting his power which would be counteracted if he received the right help during his first year. Also due to his academic drive, it is more likely that Harry will succeed in class more often due to him being academically proficient. I also find it rather strange that Harry has not taken up training that will help prepare him for the future. So, Harry will be powerful but, that's already implied in canon and he will also overall more academically proficient too but, there will be no overpowered superpowers i.e. Elemental magic etc. as that is something not part of the canon series.

Hermione will also be decidedly more powerful in this fanfiction than in canon though this is in large part thanks to having Harry challenging her academically and also due to her insisting that she trained alongside Harry. This character trait is something that has always been part of Harry in which she will try to accompany him and support him in any way that is possible and this is a very logical decision for her to make and besides she would practically jump at any opportunity that presents itself to her that is academically related or will have a positive impact on her studies as long as being present at Harry's side too.

This work of mine will not be monetized in any way shape or form and I only write this to write a perceived wrong I have felt in the pairing of Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione. This is merely a passion project of which I have intended to tackle for quite a while but, I now feel my writing arsenal is better equipped to do this justice now. I hope that this can do the original works justice and that it compares to other works of Harry/Hermione fanfiction. Hopefully, this can provide everyone with a good source of entertainment during this quarantine and I hope that you have a safe quarantine along with your loved ones.

And one last thing, mental health isn't a joke. I have a friend who's suffering from it and I'd like to say that you're never alone and that people love you. It's alright to get help and feel that way. If you do suffer from mental health problems talk to family and loved ones or contact a therapist or counsellor and get the help you need.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Chapter I – 4th Privet Drive

Vernon and Petunia Dursley, of Number4 Privet Drive, had a real sense of pride in being able to call themselves normal people. They also were the type to never be associated with anything rather unnatural or that didn't conform with their rather conservative views, after all, such frivolous activities were things that interested 'freaks'.

Vernon Dursley was a successful salesman at a modestly performing branch of Grunnings, a company that specialized in heavy-duty drills. He was a fairly tall man, though this was often overlooked due to him being morbidly obese, and on his face was a rather large brown handlebar moustache that contrasted rather horribly against his red complexion. Petunia Dursley, his wife, was rather the opposite of him in terms of looks. She was a rather small skinny woman with blonde, straight greasy locks. She had the face of a horse that was caked in copious amounts of makeup. And between the two was a baby boy who more closely resembled a football (soccer ball) than a baby and in the eyes of the Dursleys, he was the crown jewel of the family.

Whilst the Dursleys had unbridled greed for wealth, fame and power they were rather content with the lives they led. They believed such things would eventually come to those that deserved them. They, however, had one thing that in their opinions interfered with their vision of a perfect life. This blemish on their lives came from a single Lily Potter née Evans, Petunia's sister, and her family. In the eyes of the Dursleys, the Potters were the very definition of what was wrong with society, they were for lack of better word freaks. It was decided early on between Petunia and Vernon that they wouldn't associate with the Potters, after all, they couldn't have their precious baby boy be tainted with such freakishness. Their hatred of the Potters largely came from Petunia herself, and Vernon was all too happy to adopt the same views as her. Vernon had brought along a superiority complex that had rivalled that of Petunias as well. Petunia had from the very beginning hated Lily, after all, she was her parents'. On top of that Lily was the embodiment of everything Petunia would never be. She was gorgeous, extremely intelligent and worst of all she had the gift that was the ability to perform magic.

Vernon meanwhile had hated James Charlus Potter from the first moment he had set eyes on him. For reasons that were not so very different from those of Petunia, James was exactly the kind of person he wanted to be in life. He was good looking, rather rich and had a beautiful wife to boot, not that Petunia would ever find out that last bit. The thing that caught his ire the most, however, was the fact that a freak, because that's what he was, was able to get all those things. Meanwhile, he, Vernon Dursley, a perfectly normal person was unable to achieve those things. Never had he felt such a gross injustice.

When Petunia had suggested that they minimize their interactions with the Potters he had practically leapt at the idea. And this was where they found themselves now on a cold and dreary Monday morning preparing for work.

Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary just like any other Monday morning he had to go work on. As Vernon readied himself for the long day ahead, Petunia got along with waking up Dudley and fixing breakfast and a cup of coffee for her husband. It was moments like this where Petunia truly enjoyed ever since her sister had finally disappeared from her life, but little did she know how her thoughts would literally come true.

They were, however, so engrossed in their daily ritual that they failed to notice a grey tabby cat had taken watch of the family's routine.

It was almost a quarter past eight when Vernon decided it was time to leave for work. He let Petunia give him a peck on the cheek, although she made sure she did it in full view of the window where her neighbours were able to see. Vernon meanwhile ruffled Dudley's hair affectionately as he walked past with his briefcase and chuckled as Dudley attempted to hit him with his spoon. Mrs Dursley soon brought Dudley with her to the window, though he looked rather inclined to stay at the dining table and watched as Vernon backed his way out of the driveway.

It was when he had reached the mouth of his driveway that he noticed something rather peculiar. Perched upon the stone wall dividing his house from the neighbours was a grey tabby cat that was regarding him with a look of curiosity and what he imagined could only be disdain. He quickly shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. After all, when did normal cats look at people like that, let alone think of people like that? Perhaps he had one too many cups of coffee today. His mind slowly drifted to the day ahead, already imagining the bonus he would get if he completed a rather large sale to a construction firm.

It was when he had reached the edge of Surrey and was starting to reach Greater London that his mind was pulled away from his daydreams of a bonus. The fact that he was caught in a traffic jam was nothing noteworthy, what did, however, catch his attention was a group of young people dressed in cloaks that wouldn't have looked out of place in feudal England. Vernon never did understand how anybody could think that was acceptable attire. Drumming impatiently on the steering wheel he could see that they were all congregated together and were all whispering rather excitedly. Vernon then realized that some of them weren't that young at all. Shaking his head at the gentleman clad in an emerald green cloak, the nerve of that man, Vernon just sighed wondering what had become of his beloved country and its people. It wasn't much longer before the traffic finally started to move. Vernon soon arrived and parked in the Grunnings parking lot; his mind once more on his potential bonus.

Vernon was in a rather good mood; his mind had already forgotten of his encounter with those freaks in the morning. He had made significant progress in securing that big deal and was ever so close to that bonus of his. He was so enraptured in his work that he failed to notice the multiple owls that were flying around outside in full view of the window he was facing. However, the people on the streets of London weren't nearly as oblivious to them as most of them had never seen an owl at night, when they were supposedly active, let alone when it was bright as day. Vernon soon felt that he had done enough work and decided that he had earned a treat from the bakery across the road.

It was on the way to the bakery that his mind was once more put back to those freaks from this morning. He had a queasy feeling as he walked past them trying to look insignificant. With a bag full of pastries and other delicacies he made his way back to work. However, it wasn't as uneventful as he had hoped. Vernon heard a snippet of the conversation they were having.

"The Potters, yes that's right, from what I've heard of it was their son Harry."

Vernon's face fell into one of shock and he felt a feeling of dread wash over him. He looked back at the group wanting to say something but thought better of it, after all, it wouldn't do good for a perfectly respectable man like himself to associate with freaks like them. 

He walked in what he deemed was a respectable pace without trying to give the impression he was fleeing. As he got back to his desk he immediately began to dig into the pastries, for when he was stressed eating rather helped him, and got on the phone to ring back home. It was only when he heard the beeping sounds of the phone that he realized how irrational he was acting. Potter wasn't that too uncommon of a nickname, after all, he pondered whilst twirling his obnoxiously big moustache, and perhaps he had also misheard. It also wouldn't do to disturb Petunia, who already had her hands full with taking care of Dudley, for nothing. But for some reason, he couldn't shake the terrible feeling in his gut and felt a sense of foreboding and dread flood his entire being. 

That after that episode he found it hard to concentrate on the most mundane tasks let alone be able to work productively. The clock in his workplace seemed to have slowed down and five o'clock seemed to take forever to come by. He had left in such a hurry that he walked straight into a passer-by just outside of the company's gates. 

"Sorry," Vernon grunted out, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell over his cloak. Vernon soon realized what he was thinking and realized that the man was indeed wearing an outrageous violet cloak. What was most peculiar and worrying for Vernon, however, was the man wasn't mad at having been almost bowled over by this behemoth of a man. On the contrary, he had an ear-splitting grin adorned on his face. 

"Don't fret dear sir, there was no harm done. But we both must rejoice for You-Know-Who has finally gone. Even a muggle like yourself should be celebrating, this is a momentous day after all!" And with that, the old man hugged Vernon and walked off down the street. 

Vernon stood there befuddled along with having that feeling of dread magnify greatly. He didn't realize that he was shaking until he saw his reflection in a shop's window. However, it wasn't due to the cold. He hurried to his car and set off towards home, barely keeping within the speed limit. 

As he pulled into the driveway of his house the first thing he saw did nothing to help his already torrid mood. There bathing in the sun in his garden was the same grey tabby cat he saw in the morning. He was far from rational thought and now considered this cat as a bad omen, after all, it was the first possible freakish thing he saw that day. He attempted to drive the cat away, but it only gave him an irritated look and proceeded to ignore him. There was something positively human about it that he couldn't deny, so he resolved to not mention this to Petunia lest her think he'd lost the plot.

Petunia's day had been just as busy as Vernon's but thankfully for her she only had to deal with Dudley's numerous temper tantrums. She had not seen anything peculiar during the day Vernon noted. It was over dinner that Petunia finally noticed Vernon was acting rather strangely and it wasn't until the Dursleys settled into the living room that Petunia finally broached the subject that was clearly having an impact on her husband. "Vernon, what's wrong dear? I've seen you stressed since the moment you came in." Petunia said, breaking the awkward silence that'd enveloped them. 

"Well… Petunia have you seen anything peculiar today? Perhaps anything on the news?" Petunia nodded her head in affirmation having no idea where her husband was going with this. "Well, I have to Petunia but, have you haven't by chance received anything from your sister lately have you?" Vernon said. Then winced at the incredulous look Petunia sent him. 

"Vernon!" Petunia gasped in disbelief. "You aren't saying that this is linked, are you?" Vernon reluctantly nodded his head. 

"On the way to work, I encountered quite a few people dressed in the most garish of outfits. I also had bumped into one of them and heard the name of Potter and something about them having a son by the name of Harry." Vernon paused as Petunia rapidly paled in colour. "Something about them defeating a Dark Lord. Bit of a coincidence isn't it dear?" It was rather fortunate, for Petunia at least, that she was already seated as she looked about ready to faint. 

"Vernon…" Petunia began not knowing what to say. "Perhaps we should retire to bed and continue this conversation tomorrow. It has been a rather long day." Vernon readily agreed hoping that when he woke up the following morning this nightmare would evaporate away. All thoughts of the Potters and the days' peculiar activities faded away as he and Petunia were claimed by sleep. 

But, oh how very wrong he would be. 

As Vernon and Petunia were blissfully asleep lost in the land of dreams where they had usurped the Potter's as the more successful family, the cat stood watch again, having not moved from its assumed position since the morning. This time, however, its attention wasn't on the Dursleys but was rather looking around as if waiting for someone or something to arrive at any moment. 

As if on cue a loud pop dragged the cat's attention from the surroundings. In the middle of the road was a tall, thin and rather old man, based on the silver hair and beard he sported, which was rather long, nearly reaching to his waist. He was attired in the most garish long, purple robes that had a yellow starry pattern adorned upon it, which swept the floor whenever he walked, and he was dressed in what appeared to be black high heeled boots made from scales of a peculiar creature. His face held lines of wisdom and on his nose, which appeared to have had its fair share of accidents, were a pair of half-moon spectacles that hid blue orbs that sparkled with mischief. For those that knew him, which was quite a lot, the man was no other than the famous Albus Dumbledore. 

Albus was rather oblivious to the fact that the street he had just seemingly appeared from out of nowhere on was a street in which everything about him, whether it be his outfit or his name, was most unwelcome. He reached into his robe's pocket in search of something before his attention was grabbed by a pair of amber cats' eyes. Smirking at the sight of the familiar feline, he shook his head and allowed himself a moment of amusement. 

He soon found what he had been looking for inside of the robe's inner pockets. He fished out what seemed to be nothing but a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it high up in the air, and proceeded to click. The nearest streetlight went out and the light it was emitting flowed into the device. He did that until the whole street was engulfed in profound darkness. The only thing guiding him now were amber orbs that were now peering at him with unabashed interest. He made his way towards the cat and stopped just in front of it whilst pocketing the Deluminator into one of his numerous robe pockets. 

"Pleasure to meet you here, Professor McGonagall." 

He got out a small smirk when he saw the tabby give him a rather vicious glare. The tabby gave what could only be described as a cat's impression of a sigh and moved to the lawn and transformed. Where a cat once sat now stood a rather impressive woman. She was decked in a red female robe in a tartan design. Perched upon her face was a pair of square glasses behind which lived the same amber eyes as the cat. Her black hair had been drawn into a tight bun and on her face was a particularly severe expression. Safe to say she wasn't that happy. 

"Albus how did you recognize me." She finally got out. 

"Well my dear Minerva, aside from me being your colleague and having seen you in this form multiple times I also happen to remember that wonderful smile you have whenever you see me," Albus added rather cheekily though he sobered quickly when the glare Minerva had come back with vengeance.

"Please tell me you haven't been here all day my dear, I must have passed quite a few parties on the way here and today is a day worth celebrating. After all, it's not every day that a Dark Lord is banished." Said, Albus. Minerva continued to glare at him. 

"Albus, first of all, perhaps the celebrations have gotten out of hand. I saw multiple reports of magical activity that the muggles have reported. It was all over the news." she said as she tilted her head to the living room which housed the TV. "And second of all, have you not forgotten about the price with which our victory has come with? There are countless families that have been torn apart. Isn’t it selfish of us to celebrate when so many people are suffering?”

Albus froze and immediately felt a wave of sympathy wash over him. Minerva had lost her husband to a venomous tentacula bite. An investigation from the Aurors revealed that a Death Eater had planted it hoping to get Minerva who was a major part of the Order.

"I wholeheartedly understand Minerva, but, you must understand them." Dumbledore started trying to calm Minerva’s raging emotions down. "They've had very little to celebrate about in the last decade or so. And to them, they'd rather celebrate anything positive that may come as after a while they became desensitized to the tragedies that have plagued us all the last decade. And perhaps they’re not celebrating the demise of Voldemort but, rather that their loved ones are finally safe?" 

Minerva’s eyes softened at that. She hadn’t considered that angle before. She knew deep in her heart if Elphinstone* was still alive; she'd be celebrating the demise of the Dark Lord with him.

"I know that Albus, however, it is still no reason for us to lose our heads and go violate the very laws that are meant to keep our own people safe. Or have you forgotten the fate that had befallen our cousins from across the pond?" Minerva said referring to the American witch trials.

In the 1600s over 200 witches were murdered for the ‘crime’ of having magic. As in the eyes of the Bible, thus the Church's, witches and magic were the product of Satan’s work. This had led to mass hysteria within the Wizarding World. The ICW had convened and established the Statute of Secrecy which had largely kept the peace between the two races. This balance was now in jeopardy thanks to the mindless antics of a select few. 

"A very good point indeed, Minerva, touché." Albus finally said. "Would you care for a lemon drop dear, I find it rather refreshing and a great stress reliever." 

Minerva looked at him as if he’d grown a second head. She took a moment to compose herself before diplomatically replying. "Perhaps later Albus. But, getting back to the matter at hand. With You-Know-Who gone –" 

"My dear Minerva, perhaps with his demise it would be better if you were to call him by the name Voldemort or better yet Tom." Minerva shivered at the mention of his name, but Dumbledore just ploughed on. "I believe in the proverb that 'fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself." 

"Well, Albus most people aren't like you." Minerva proclaimed in an exasperated yet condescending tone. "A lot of us have had loved ones who have fallen to his wand, yet you've gone and survived quite a few encounters yourself. And besides that, you are probably the only one that he has actually ever been genuinely frightened of." 

Albus shook his head at that exclamation. A major problem he had was the attitudes of reverence that the people held towards him. Whilst it was endearing at first it had quickly grown tiring and had caused him great difficulty in interacting with others. This was perhaps why he was so close to Minerva. She held his achievements in the least regard but still couldn’t help the occasional bursts like that.

"Minerva, you are entirely too good for my ego," Dumbledore said, procuring yet another glare. "However, Tom has powers of which I will never possess." 

"Well, that's because you've never chosen to pursue them, Albus. Sometimes you're entirely too honourable for your own good." She said batting off his attempt at being humble.  
"Why you really are flattering me today. However, I don't choose to pursue these arts because they are dark. I lost my beloved Ariana due to my fixation on the dark arts. I won’t pursue anything like that again.”

“You're right of course." Minerva sighed out. "Anyway, what has become of You-Know-Who. Is he truly gone like what they're reporting on the news?" 

This was the crux of Minerva's standoffish attitude. It had been a whole day of suspense and tension waiting to find out the answer to something that had been bothering her all day. She fixated a look on Albus that demanded he speak up and soon. Dumbledore popped yet another lemon drop into his mouth before sighing.

"Lord Voldemort has been banished. As the reports said, James and Lily were found dead and Harry was left with a curse scar when the killing curse rebounded off his forehead back onto Voldemort." McGonagall gasped as reality sank in. She knew that they were dead but hearing Albus explicitly saying it was a whole new level of pain for her.

"What they haven't told you, however, was that James died while trying to fight him off in an attempt to allow Lily to escape. There, however, were anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards up which caused Lily and Harry to take sanctuary within the nursery. There Lily attempted to get him to spare Harry by offering to give up her life. He took Lily's life and then tried to kill Harry as well, but as I told you the curse failed." Albus said.

“And how did you come to this conclusion Albus?” Minerva asked sceptically. It seemed rather odd how Albus could know these events in such detail.

“I was told myself by my sources within the Department of Mysteries. How they managed to obtain this information I have no idea but, they’ve yet to lead me wrong.”

"How did the boy survive then Albus," Minerva said, satisfied with the explanation that Albus had offered. Her heart went out to Harry once more.

"I believe that Lily had partaken in a ritual which involved family magic and blood rituals to protect Harry. This, however, would require the willing sacrifice of a mother. Although greatly reducing the effectiveness of almost any other curse, the killing curse would have still been fatal even if greatly reduced in power. I have reason to believe that a sudden burst of accidental magic caused the curse to rebound to Voldemort."

"But, Albus wouldn't the power requirements still be off the chart to redirect a killing curse albeit one that was significantly weakened," Minerva questioned with a frown. 

"Well, Minerva you and I have both witnessed the power that young Harry possesses. It's safe to say that after seeing the death of his mother, a truly traumatic event for anyone even more so for a toddler, the circumstances are there for Harry to have deflected the curse back at him.” 

“And what has become of the bind on his core Albus? I recall James putting one there before they went into hiding.” Minerva said, her eyebrows furrowing.

“I believe that the power that Harry possessed was so great, from his emotions, that it caused the core to unravel. I doubt he would have survived if the binding was still intact.” Albus said. Minerva paled at that but her attention was taken when Albus continued to speak.

“When Hagrid brought him back to Hogwarts Madam Pomfrey reapplied the same binding on him after she checked him mind you.” He added hastily at the blistering look upon her face.

"And when will this binding be removed?" 

"I will personally be making visits to him on each of his birthdays to remove a bit of the core as per usual. It will be fully removed by the time he receives his letter so don’t worry my dear." Dumbledore reassured Minerva. 

Pausing for a moment he once again reached into his pocket and retrieved an old pocket watch. It was a fine example of if Minerva were to guess, German craftsmanship and it truly was a work of art. It was made out of a rather expensive oak and had hands that were made out of gold. Sighing and shaking his head he finally pocketed it. 

"But I do believe that Hagrid is running late. He wouldn't have happened to tell you that I'd told him to meet me with Harry here did he?" Albus continued. 

"Yes, and yes to both questions. And perhaps you will enlighten me on why you've insisted on meeting here Albus? Surely Hogwarts is a lot safer." Minerva said brushing aside the accusatory tone in Albus' voice.

"I've asked Hagrid to come here because this is where he will be residing for the next ten years my dear. They are after all the last remaining family that he has." 

"You don't mean them now do you." Minerva rasped out whilst wildly gesticulating at the house on Number 4 Privet. "As you've already surmised, I've spent the whole day observing them. These people are nothing like us. And if Severus is to be believed they hate our kind.” Minerva said her face scrunching up at his name.

Albus sighed to himself. Severus Snape had been a major point of contention within the Order and had lately been the source of a lot of heated discussions between the two of them. 

Severus hadn’t exactly been receptive to the concept of ‘light magic’ when he was in school, something he and Minerva could testify too, but he’d been captivated by the powerful draw that was ‘dark magic’. The only thing that kept him from fully embracing the dark was his friendship with Lily Evans, later Lily Potter, a muggleborn. When that relationship had deteriorated beyond the point of repair Albus knew he was lost to the dark.

Or so he thought.

The most Albus had divulged was that Severus had met him on a random Monday morning and what had transpired was a secret to everyone but the two. Whatever it was had convinced Albus wholeheartedly that he was back in the light, which had led to his immediate induction to the Order. Much to the chagrin of everyone else.

Minerva had been particularly miffed when he’d revealed that he couldn’t divulge what’d happened due to him swearing not to break Severus’s confidence. Albus was prone to keeping secrets close to his chest and as such that had led to her belief in him to slowly crumble away.

Thankfully for the two, however, they weren’t going to cross that proverbial bridge today. There were more important matters at hand after all.

"Minerva, this is where he’s safest.” Said, Albus. When he saw that she didn’t look convinced at all he continued “If it helps I’ve prepared a letter explaining everything to them along with instructions for them to follow.” 

His eyes widened when he saw a look of utmost indignation and fury settle on her face. Needless to say that he'd said the wrong thing. Quickly reaching into his pocket he retrieved his wand in time for the imminent explosion from her.

"A letter?!" Minerva roared out not quite believing her ears. “Albus have you not heard a single thing I’ve said. They hate the magical world, you believe that they’d follow instructions from someone they view as inferior?” Albus shrunk but Minerva wasn’t done with her verbal thrashing.

“The boy is famous in our world, this is something that a magical person would have difficulty explaining. What chances do you think that a muggle stands in explaining it to him? You’re condemning him to a loveless childhood Albus.” Minerva thundered out. 

She was now breathing in gasps from her rant and Albus saw an opportunity to get a point in.

“I understand where you’re coming from dear, but Harry is her last link to Lily. Surely her hatred wouldn’t transcend to the point of hating her dead sister’s son. And I imagine that if he were to be put inside a magical household the fame would get to his head.” Albus answered desperately hoping he’d placated her in some sense.

“I can agree with you trying to keep him humble but, is it worth it to leave him in an environment where he’ll be surely taken advantage of?”

Albus was saved from the endeavour of answering her question when the roar of an engine along with a flash of light suddenly appeared.

There was a motorcycle flying down to the street from the sky. The motorcycle gradually slowed down before stopping in front of the driveway that they were stood at.  
A large burly figure dismounted. Out stepped the gargantuan man that was Rubeus Hagrid. He walked around and gently picked up a bundle of cloth from out of the sidecar next to him before making his way towards the duo.

He was dressed in an absurdly large brown overcoat and brown linen shirt which went down to his knees. He wore shoes that looked like they were made of an animal’s scales. He had bushy black hair and a beard that hid most of his face. His eyes were black in colour but held a certain genuine warm quality to them.

"Hagrid," Dumbledore exclaimed, sounding rather relieved. "I was wondering where you've been. And may I ask where've you found this motorcycle?" 

"Well, I borrowed it, sir. Sirius Black let me borrow it, sir.” He said in a hushed whisper.

"And did you encounter any problems along the way Hagrid?" 

"When I arrived half the house had collapsed and there were muggles surrounding the area. Sirius had Harry in his arms I believe performing healing spells on the boy. He's been checked by Madam Pomfrey already and she said there's nothing to do with the scar.” He paused before continuing on.

“Sirius was rather hesitant when I said I had to take him. Said that it was his duty as Harry’s godfather to take care of him but, he eventually relented when I told him that you ordered me too. He then mentioned something about hunting down a rat before taking off. But Harry behaved himself.” He said smiling affectionately at the bundle in his arms.  
As if on cue Albus and Minerva peered down to the bundle of blankets in Hagrid's arms. Inside, the cocoon was a baby boy fast asleep. He had a head full of jet-black hair and on the right-hand side of his forehead was a cut in the shape of a lightning bolt. "He fell asleep as we were over Bristol on the way here sir." Hagrid offered in way of explanation whilst handing the boy over into Dumbledore's arms.

"Is that where he was struck?" Minerva whispered out. Dumbledore merely nodded his head in affirmation. The silence soon stretched out as they stared at the boy watching as he moved in his sleep.

“I believe that is all Hagrid. My thanks for taking such good care of him, now I think we should retire for the night. It has been a long day after all.”

“Is this where he’ll be staying sir?” Asked Hagrid. Albus nodded at him. 

Hagrid took a deep shuddering breath before looking at Harry and walking to him. He gently pushed the hair off Harry’s forehead before whispering something to him. He made his way back to the motorbike and the engine roared back to life once more. 

“I shall be heading back to Hogwarts sir. If there’s anything you need, you know how to get a hold of me.” Hagrid said. Albus nodded at him. The last thing he saw was Hagrid accelerating down the street before lifting off and disappearing into the darkness of the night.

Minerva then turned her head towards him and looked pointedly at him. “Albus, you do know that if Sirius is indeed Harry’s godfather that he’s innocent right?” Albus nodded at her. “Well then I shall be leaving but, please remember what you promised.”

Albus gaped at her before he muted his look at the pointed look she sent him.

“And remember if I ever find out that you’ve screwed this up, there won’t be a place to hide from my fury.” Albus gulped and nodded.

“Of course my dear. I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing and please do know that I haven’t made this decision lightly.” Minerva nodded, momentarily satisfied. She brandished her wand and spun on the spot before she too disappeared in a loud pop. 

Albus once more looked at the toddler in his arms one last time before he brought the boy to the doorstep and placed the basket in front of the door. Taking the letter from out of his pocket he placed it in the basket before taking a step back. He looked at the boy one last time and lightly whispered into the air "Good luck Harry Potter." He turned around and was once again in the middle of the road. Reaching into his pocket once more this time he brought out the Deluminator and the light that had once been captured returned to its original streetlamps. Pocketing it and extending his hand where a wand had suddenly appeared he looked around once more before he spun and disappeared in a much quieter pop. 

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AN: This is where the story in terms of the plot will start to diverge from that of canon. The actual plot of this chapter will largely remain the same but the events leading up to it and how the climax of the story is handled will be different. But please leave a review (a constructive one would be nice) and possibly a Kudos/Follow and I hope you enjoyed my first ever chapter.


	2. An Outburst

**Trigger Warning. This chapter contains scenes which may trigger some people. If you get triggered by mentions of Child neglect, then you are welcome to skip to the end of this chapter where a summary will be included. It's however, very mild and brief but still Viewer discretion is advised.**

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The house of 4th Privet Drive had received very little change ever since that fateful night almost 9 years ago where Petunia and Vernon had received a rather unpleasant surprise in the shape of their infant nephew laying in a basket on their front porch.

The living room in which Minerva McGonagall had observed remained largely unchanged were the only differences were the upgraded furniture and television.

Twas the night before Christmas and everyone within the Dursley household was looking forward to, yet another Christmas spent together. In an unoccupied corner of the room stood a Christmas tree that looked decidedly artificial. There was a mountain of presents that lay underneath it, the majority of which was labelled for Dudley whilst the rest was for Vernon and Petunia.

There was a fireplace where the glowing embers were slowly dying out, slowly losing its warmth. That, however, didn't stop a certain Harry Potter from laying in front of it whilst huddled inside of a blanket. It was times like this that Harry truly wondered what he had done wrong to deserve this life.

It was moments like this that perfectly encapsulated Harry's home life, holding on to dear life whilst taking any opportunities that presented itself that could improve his wellbeing with a ferocious grip afraid of letting go.

The cupboard that was his bedroom served as both a prison and a reprieve from the harsh reality that was his life with the Dursley's but right now the thin wooden walls were doing nothing to keep the unforgiving cold from biting his bones and making his wounds ache.

This year had been rather abnormal as this was one of the harshest winters that the United Kingdom had faced. As if that wasn't enough already the area of Little Whinging, Surrey and London by extension was amidst the throes of a blizzard the likes of which had never been observed before.

Whilst Vernon and Dudley were snuggled under their thick blankets together and Dudley was no doubt basking in the warmth provided by the heater inside of his room it was Harry who was once again taking the brunt of the brutal cold. The embers inside of the fire had long since gone out now and Harry was left in an epiphany.

Whilst lighting a fire was something that would at least give him some warmth, the consequences when Vernon found out in the morning would ultimately negate the purpose of it. He ultimately decided against it knowing that in lighting a fire as he was more likely to get through this winter without any warmth than with the comfort of fire for one night but going through injuries inflicted by his uncle's wrath and spending the rest of his nights no doubt without warmth again.

Making his way into his cupboard once more he huddled into the foetal position with the blanket wrapped tightly around him in a poor attempt to conserve body heat. He knew that this was ultimately futile as he felt him get more and more drained of energy until he finally succumbed to the dark.

It would seem that the end was near for Harry Potter. The only knowledge that comforted him was that he would be seeing his parents sooner than he expected.  
Fortunately, for him, however, unbeknownst to him his body was far from done.

It was once theorized, by Phineas Black, that when a person was in mortal peril, their magic would react in a way to try and ensure the survival of the person. There were limitations of course. Magic wasn’t able to heal a body as the power requirements were too high not to mention that healing was a complicated process to be done whilst conscious. Instead magic would put the owner’s body into a coma-like state which would buy time for someone to find them and save them.  
It, however, didn’t have any proof to support this theory. This was mainly due to ethical issues with performing such an experiment. 

Thankfully for Harry, that theory was indeed true. The only problem for him was that the bind that had been erected by Madam Pomfrey was hampering his ability to access his magic. 

So, in the face of that his magic took the most logical step to save him. His magic started accumulating in an attempt to batter the bind that was put in place and getting to him to get him into a stable condition. Harry was, of course, unaware to the whole event, however, the other occupants of the house weren’t so oblivious.

Vernon and Petunia Dursley were awoken when they heard the sound of crackling downstairs. It was safe to say both were not pleased with this. Vernon told Petunia to go back to sleep, where she responded by putting her face in her pillow in an attempt to drown out the noise.

He meanwhile swung his legs out of the bed and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was only 1 in the morning and his ire for the boy merely increased. He made his way down the stairs all the while grumbling about freaks and abnormal behaviour until he was faced with the door to the cupboard.

He immediately knew something was amiss when he saw the subtle glow coming from inside of the cupboard which was slowly leaking out of the slits underneath the door. His hairs stood on end when he felt the power that was emanating from the cupboard. Holding his breath, he slowly opened the cupboard door and the sight that greeted him was most unwelcome.

The boy lying within the cupboard was glowing a golden hue that was gradually getting brighter. The crackling sound was now more pronounced, and he could see the air was humid with the power he was emitting. He stood there slack-jawed; his brain unable to process what he was seeing.

When he was finally able to process a coherent thought, he realized his nephew was now positively shining, so bright he was seeing spots now and he was pulsing with power.  
‘Run.’ Immediately came to mind.

He immediately started scampering up the stairs to try to get Petunia and Dudley out of the house before the sure to come to the climax. He wasn't sure what it was but, it wasn't going to be pretty. He was, however, caught off guard when he heard what sounded like a large explosion and saw a wave of bright white light coming his way before his world turned black.

Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Deep in the mountains of Scotland lay a castle near the town of Hogsmeade. This castle was built during the reign of Arthur Pendragon by 4 talented wizards and witches with the purpose that this was to be an institute for magical education. Nearly a millennium later the school was going strong and was continuing to grow under the watchful tenure of one Albus Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore held a level of fame that was akin to that of Harry Potter within the United Kingdom and was universally respected in the international scene. He had many accolades in his lifetime including being the defeater of the most featured Dark Lord of his generation Gellert Grindelwald, being an Order of Merlin First Class recipient, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the ICW (International Confederation of Wizards) but, perhaps his most proud achievement Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

To say he was a busy man would've been an understatement but, it was moments like this he treasured.

He was sat in his favourite plush oak chair with a glass of Ogden's Finest Firewhisky in one hand and a book in the other. He took a moment to look around and couldn't help but, feel a sense of serenity wash over him as he contemplated his surroundings. 

His walls were adorned with bookcases displaying some of the rarest books which ranged from a variety of topics. In the right-hand corner of his office was a golden perch in which Fawkes, his Fire Phoenix Familiar, was resting. Fawkes was a constant in his life, having joined him when he had lost his sister Oriana to Grindelwald's wand. He had aided greatly during the fight and then also during the conflict against Voldemort. He had stuck around something that Dumbledore was thankful that he had chosen to stay with him.  
His gaze eventually made its way to a pair of shelves holding the most peculiar contraptions on it. They whizzed and spun in a way that only Dumbledore understood. Of course, these were the instruments that measured the wards at 4th Privet Drive and with that he delved into the memories of that fateful November night.

He often wondered if Minerva was right in that he shouldn't have left Harry there. From a greater good perspective, it had seemed like the correct decision, after all, victory always came at a cost. But then again hadn't the boy suffered enough already?

He had been surprised by the reports from Mrs Figg of 5th Privet Drive. She was a squib who had been part of the Order of the Phoenix. He had stationed her across from where Harry had taken residency and she had been reporting on him ever since once a month. 

The reports had called to attention Harry being rather small for his age and not to mention skinny, which was abnormal as both his parents had been relatively tall. But he had chalked that up to nothing more than the usual kid being picky about what he ate. It had seemed like Minerva had grossly overestimated the Dursley's apparent cruelty, due to perhaps her want to raise Harry in the wizarding world. She had still not let off her opinion on the matter which was a source of great tension between the two once close friends.  
He had of course forgotten his promise to check up on Harry with Minerva due to the hectic nature of his attempts at rebuilding a less prejudiced filled Wizarding World. It would have been a rather big grievance against him if Minerva were to remember and need to remind him but, that day hadn’t come yet.

What had put a very large strain on their friendship was the illegal imprisonment of Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. Dumbledore had attempted on multiple occasions to get a trial for Sirius, which he hadn't received, but had been outrightly denied by Minister Bagnold, the previous Minister of Magic, and then had been blocked by a vote in the Wizengamot sessions no doubt due to the bribes paid for by the Dark faction. He took off his glasses and sighed, it truly had been tiring 9 years.

He had hoped that with the banishment of Voldemort blood-prejudices would disappear but, he had been ultimately wrong. It had returned with a vengeance despite the herculean effort of the Light. He was truly vexed as to what was the next best course of action. 

It felt almost futile fighting, what he ultimately believed to be, a losing battle.

He, however, was brought out his musings by the whirling of the instruments suddenly increasing exponentially in volume on the shelf. Frowning he walked towards the instruments with the grace that was unexpected of an old man. His face drained in colour startling fast. He quickly rushed to summon his wand all the while calling Fawkes to bring him to 4th Privet Drive.

As he disappeared in a cloud of fire and smoke, he caught a glimpse of the instruments going initially before it blew up, he was thankfully gone before the shrapnel caused from the exploding instruments reached him.

Head of DMLE office, Ministry of Magic

Amelia Bones was one woman who you didn't want to trifle with. She was among the most powerful and prominent women within the Wizarding community, though that was expected to come with the position as Head of the DMLE (Department of Magical Law Enforcement). She had been an Auror during the First Wizarding War and had been one of the most famous Dark Wizard catchers. She had a certain ruthless edge to her that made her an opponent you dreaded to duel against.

However, there was a time where she had once been a decidedly less aggressive and more prone to using non-lethal spells during the apprehension of Death Eaters and the like. This though all changed on one fateful night. It had been a few days before the attack on the Potter's which had ended the Wizarding War, but she had been on a regular patrol in Diagon Alley before a Patronus came to her and urged her to go back to her home. She had disapparated right to her ancestral home where the sight she was presented tore at her heart.

The once glorious manor that she and her brother had once grown up in was now just a smoking husk of its former glory. In front of the manor lay 2 body bags and she had a bad gut feeling about this. She was eventually called over by the acting Head of the DMLE at that time Bartemius Crouch Sr and had been tasked with identifying the bodies of the victims. She had pulled back the body bag to reveal the faces of her brother Edgar Bones and his wife.

She felt numb all over as her heart cried out in grief, but then a healer brought her what could be described as a miracle. She was handed in a toddler and she immediately recognized that it was her niece Susan Bones. Somehow the Death Eater's hadn't found Susan and she was forever thankful for that as she quite possibly saved her from the deep spiralling pit of depression. On that day she had made a promise to her brother and his wife that she'd do everything in her power to protect Susan and ensure that she had the best childhood that she could provide.

And from that day forth she fought with the desperation to keep her loved one's safe from danger. Her life now consisted of two things these were: capturing all the remaining Death Eaters and taking care of Susan. She took these two jobs very seriously which had led to her taking up the mantle of Head of the DMLE when Bartemius Crouch Sr was forced out of the office in disgrace when it was found out that his son had been a Death Eater and on top of that was one of the members of Voldemort's inner circle.

She often found herself working late in the hopes of putting those responsible for Susan being an orphan to justice. Even after 9 years, her need for justice was still as strong as ever. As she was perusing the latest files on her desk a knock on her door brought her out of her work-induced trance. There standing in the doorway was a rather unexpected face, it was Head Unspeakable Saul Croaker who if she had to guess was looking rather panicky.

"How may I help you, Saul?" Amelia greeted out calmly.

"Amelia there's no time for formalities right now. Our department has just detected a large outburst of magic in Little Whinging, Surrey." He gasped out. Amelia's face drained of colour. Such an event hadn't happened since the last blood war. A war that had left her beloved Susan parentless.

She quickly pushed those thoughts away from her mind, realizing that she had a job to conduct. "And what is it you need Saul?" Amelia hurried out, unsure of what to do.

"We'll need all Aurors on duty, some Healers and possibly the Obliviation Squad. It happened in a populous non-magical area, Amelia." She nodded and hurried. 

She cast a Patronus, the Lioness showing up and lighting up her dark office and she ordered it to tell the Aurors about the incident along with the location of it. She quickly grabbed her Auror overcoat, made of the finest Dragonhide, and spun around whilst turning on the spot.

The scene that greeted Amelia was one that she didn't expect but, wasn't welcome either. She was staring upon a house that had collapsed but, to her surprise and relief, no Dark Mark was flying overheard nor any signs of Dark magic area. 

What did surprise her was how Magic rich the area had become. She was befuddled over what could've caused Magic to spread across in such copious amounts not to mention how far the magic seemed to have spread.

Gazing across at the crowded garden she saw that it was filled with Aurors and no muggles, it seemed that the Unspeakables had already cast non-magical repelling wards. A familiar face finally caught her eye and she quickly strode towards the Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour.

"Rufus, what the devil is going on here?" Amelia greeted in her usual no-nonsense voice. Rufus, however, was unfazed.

“Amelia I’m afraid that we are no close to solving this mystery,” Rufus said his voice slightly tinged with frustration, probably from making no headway with the case.  
“No worries we’ll get to the bottom of this soon. What’s been done so far?” Amelia asked, once more slipping back into her stoic mask.

“We’ve got a team of Aurors looking through the wreckage for the occupants. According to the neighbours, this house belonged to the Dursleys’, all muggles. The Obliviation squad is on standby right now in case you want to interview them before they obliviate the muggles.” Rufus reported to her.

“And are there any guesses as to where the magic came from?” Amelia said frowning. She couldn’t shake the feeling in her gut. Something was missing she just didn’t know what. She didn’t know how she was literally correct.

“The Unspeakables have said that they have multiple theories each more unlikely than the next. The real headache is decontaminating the whole area of magic.” Amelia shuddered at that thought. Rufus did have a point nobody knew what such copious amounts of magic could do to a whole muggle neighbourhood.

Amelia was about to ask another question when she was cut by the excited shout from the direction of the house.

"We've found one of them." He exclaimed rather excitedly. He was immediately surrounded by his fellow Aurors who were helping him levitate the rubble off him. The boy was caked in so much dust that they weren’t able to discern the state he was in.

The Healers instantly rushed towards the boys pushing themselves past multiple Aurors. They immediately started casting a deluge of cleaning charms at the boy eventually cleaning him up. 

The boy had a messy mop of raven black hair which covered his forehead. The boy was dressed in ragged oversized clothes which hung off his unnaturally skinny frame. He wore a pair of glasses with circular frames that were cracked and looked like it had been the subject of hasty DIY repair jobs if the tape on the frame was any indication.

They immediately took off his shirt to better inspect him and what they saw caused more than a few Aurors to move hastily away from the sight they were seeing before spewing their stomach’s contents.

There on his back were scars crisscrossing his back along with what looked to be fresh wounds laying on top of it. The healer’s paled immediately noticing multiple bruises on back in the shape of fists and what looked to be finger marks on his shoulder. Lacerations were running along his back that looked to have come from a belt.

What was most upsetting, however, was what was on his lower back. There stood deep cuts, that looked to be had been the result of a penknife, spelling out the word ‘freak’.  
The Healers immediately turned the boy over onto his side before yelling at someone to get them some Essence of Dittany. A gasp followed by a loud thud was heard. All heads swivelled at the Auror who’d collapsed. 

He was hit immediately enervated but his complexion was still a pastel white colour. When he was asked about what had made him react in that way he just dumbly pointed at the boy’s forehead. He soon found himself on the receiving end of some rather queer looks before telling the healers to move his hair. The healers obliged and what they saw shook them to their cores.

There, sitting on the right-hand side of his forehead was a lightning bolt scar. Amelia brought her hands up to her face pinching the bridge of her nose. It couldn’t be, could it? She looked up hoping dearly that what she’d seen was just trick of the light.

It wasn’t.

She felt her knees give way bit, was caught by two sets of arms. She swivelled her head around to whoever had caught her and saw Rufus and Albus Dumbledore looking at her in concern. 

Her thought process ground to a sudden halt at the last person’s name. Albus Dumbledore? What the devil was he doing here. She didn’t realize she was talking until the words had left her mouth.

“Rufus, why didn’t you mention Harry Potter was here? And why is he in such a bad state?” She quickly turned around to a suddenly pensive looking Albus Dumbledore. “And what exactly is the point you being here? This is a ministry matter after all and last time I checked the Wizengamot isn’t part of the Ministry of Magic Albus.” Her tone taking on a more pointed tone.

Rufus look spoke volumes in Amelia’s eyes. He was just as surprised at Harry being there.

Albus was a completely different story though. His face had gone from a faraway look, probably from delving into his memories, to one of absolute guilt. He was now pale and was sweating profusely when he saw the pointed look coming from Amelia. Whatever it was he had to say, she had a gut feeling that she wouldn’t like it one bit.

“Before I say anything, I believe that this conversation best be carried out in privacy,” Albus said. Amelia nodded impatiently at the old man.

He immediately led them to the unoccupied corner of the house’s front yard. He pulled out his wand and immediately started casting privacy and notice-me-not charms around them. He eventually gave a nod of satisfaction and pocketed his wand before launching into an explanation.

“Amelia, it appears that I have made a grave error of judgement,” Albus said before pausing slightly, obviously taking a moment to gather his composure before soldiering on. “I’m afraid that you won’t be getting answers from Rufus about this.”

“And why’s that?” Amelia immediately countered. Rufus shrugged his shoulders acknowledging his point.

“I was the one who had placed Harry here. The Dursley’s were his relatives, Petunia Dursley was Lily Potter’s sister.” He winced when he saw the look of absolute fury on Amelia’s face. She was infuriated by the lack of protocol when he’d placed Harry here.

“Albus when exactly did one of your positions grant you the power to place children where you want? There are protocol’s and procedures that needed to be followed.” She said in a huff. Albus exhaled a sigh of relief but sucked in a breath when he saw that Amelia hadn’t finished yet.

“Your intentions may be good but, that still doesn’t mean you don’t have to observe the law. And we’re getting beside ourselves now however, you still haven’t answered what you were doing here.” Amelia got out and seeing Albus was close to breaking decided to add a little more pressure. “I won’t ask you again Albus, or else we will be forced to take you into custody and interview you under Veritaserum.”

Albus’ eyes widened at the thinly veiled threat Amelia had just issued. He looked over at Rufus and he was just as serious as she was, and he knew that if he were to right some wrongs he need to answer truthfully and fast.

“I believe that the wounds may have come from his relatives themselves.” Seeing Rufus and Amelia’s faces turn ashen he decided to quickly get the explanation out of the way to minimize the blow for them. “Minerva McGonagall, my Deputy Headmistress, had observed them the whole day and had predicted that such a thing could occur.” He raised his hand when he saw that Amelia was about to interrupt him. 

“I, of course, didn’t listen. It was a completely naïve move on my part and one that Harry’s had to pay the price of. I do believe that you’re wondering how a boy could survive a house falling on him, especially with those wounds he’s sustained.” He received uncertain nods from both Amelia and Rufus unsure where this was going.  
“I have two theories that could explain how Harry’s in a stable condition along with the state of the house.” Albus paused again. Rufus was getting agitated by Albus antics. Couldn’t he see that there was an emergency going on here?

“Will you just get on with it Albus? We haven’t got all night.” He received a look of admonishment from Amelia but, Albus looked a tad bit taken aback before nodding and continuing with the story.

“According to my sources within the Department of Mysteries, don’t interrupt me,” Albus said when he saw both Amelia and Rufus’s mouths open. They quickly snapped shut and Albus continued as if nothing had happened. “They say that Lily Potter participated in a blood ritual that they believe to be part of the Potter family.”

“And are we,” Amelia pointed at both herself and Rufus, “Correct to assume that this has something to do with Harry surviving the Killing Curse?” Albus’s face lit up with how quickly she caught on.

“Indeed, Amelia, I believe that this ritual weakened the curse to the point where Harry was able to deflect the Killing curse in a wave of accidental magic. This was the reason with which Harry had to be placed with his Aunt. With him living under the protection of his aunt’s blood he’d be safe from whatever entities wished to harm him from the inside.” Albus said. Amelia and Rufus had contemplative looks on both of their faces.

“These protections that were placed on him didn’t protect him from those insides of the house did they, Albus?” Rufus asked. He received a nod in return.

“And Albus that still doesn’t explain how the house is how it is.” Amelia pointed out. Albus straightened up again evidently preparing to launch into another full-blown explanation.

“Amelia, Rufus you wouldn’t happen to be familiar with the works of Phineas Black, would you?” He received a couple of unsure nods. “I believe this is quite possibly proof of his theory being true. That Halloween in which the half the house collapsed was when Phineas Black's theory combined with Lily Potter’s protection combined to save him.” Amelia’s face was starting to dawn with understanding but, Rufus wasn’t quite there yet. Albus continued with his explanation.

“His core was bound, by James himself, and that prevented his magic from being able to protect himself. His magic took steps to ensure that it could save him which in this case was the collapsing of the core. The magical backlash that occurred caused that section of the house to collapse into itself.” 

Rufus looked shocked whilst Amelia was now in a look of contemplation.

“And you’re hypothesizing that the same things happened here.” Albus nodded in affirmation. “I’ll have to tell Saul this. It’ll help with the cleanup process.” Amelia said not waiting for an answer from the two men.

Albus soon found himself alone with Rufus and the air between them was thick with all of the revelations that had just been revealed.

“Albus, why haven’t you told either of us about this?” Rufus eventually broke the silence between them. “You both know that myself and Amelia could never side with the Dark Lord.” 

Albus sighed. This was a question he had been asked many times and his answers had all but, become routine by now. The Order and Minerva came to mind whenever these matters came about and both her and the Order weren’t afraid to let him know of their opinions about what they thought about the lack of information being shared. 

Hearing this question over and over had also caused him to question his decisions. What use was it withholding information when it could be used for the greater good? He shook his head and regarded Rufus before he voiced his response.

“I know that Rufus. You and Amelia are perhaps some of the most honourable people within the Ministry. Your track record along with Amelia’s positions is enough proof that you’d never side with the Dark Lord.” Albus started Rufus sighed at him in annoyance, he was dragging out his explanations this evening. “Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said about your colleagues.” Albus offered.

Rufus nodded acknowledging his point but still couldn’t help but still feel slightly miffed at Albus. They both stood there awkwardly, unsure of how to continue the strained conversation. The silence was starting to become suffocating, slowly increasing the tension. It was now palpable, so thick that a knife could cut through it. Rufus eventually broke the silence.

“Albus I’ve been meaning to ask you a question.”

Albus whose thoughts were starting to drift elsewhere drifted to a sudden stop. There was something in Rufus tone that demanded that he thinks carefully for his answers. He nodded at Rufus to continue.

“Harry’s protection wasn’t the only reason you had placing him with the Dursleys was it.” Rufus finally said after much deliberation over the wording of the question. It, after all, wouldn’t do to make it sound accusatory, Albus was already quite distressed with the whole situation as it was.

“I’m afraid not. I had originally envisaged placing Harry with his relatives if anything were to happen to Lily and James. They were after all his family. It had all made sense, he’d be away from the prying eyes of the Wizarding world and would remain grounded. Do you remember Minster Bagnold?” Albus said suddenly abruptly changing the direction of the conversation.

Rufus frowned in confusion but nodded his affirmation, nonetheless.

“Whilst she wasn’t a Death Eater, she wasn’t averse to a ‘donation’ from some of the… darker members of the Wizengamot. I feared for Harry’s safety if Minister Bagnold were to intervene. During her tenure, she had on more than one occasion demanded to know Harry’s location. Naturally, I refused.” Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head.

He turned to look over at Rufus who had a stupefied look on his face. He hadn’t known of this.

“Rufus, if you were me would you’ve done the same thing as me.”.

Albus’ question drew Rufus short. Out of all the things he’d thought of since his startling revelations, he hadn’t considered it from Albus’ point of view. He felt a queasiness develop in the pit of his stomach as he realized his answer.

“Quite frankly, yes. Yes, I’d do the same as you did without a shadow of a doubt. I’d say that it was the safest bet to him having a proper childhood. Unfortunately, that never happened did it, Albus?” He received a solemn nod in return.

They were both brought of there contemplative moods by the arrival of Amelia who was trailed by a certain Saul Croaker.

Saul and to a much lesser extent Amelia were brought up to date by Albus whilst Rufus occasionally chimed in to provide his part of the story. Saul very much agreed with Albus’ explanation of his decisions along with agreeing that he’d done the same. Amelia, however, was having trouble accepting the fact that she’d also have done the same.  
She could understand the need to place Harry with his relatives, after all, she’d taken in Susan from a similar situation but couldn’t fathom how spectacularly the whole thing had backfired.\

When Amelia eventually pulled herself out of her brief reverie, she couldn’t help but, notice that an uncomfortable silence had descended upon the group. Before she had any chance to think of something to say to break the awkward silence between the four of them a distraction in the form of a solemn healer came towards her.

The healer nodded her head towards a secluded area of the Garden and Amelia immediately understood that she was to follow her. Turning back to indicate to the trio that she’d be back she followed the Healer until she was out of view once more.

An ominous feeling had settled onto the group suffocating any attempts at a conversation that they’d tried to conjure up. 

Albus looked to be the worst affected, he had a feeling that whatever the Healer had to tell Amelia wasn’t going to be pretty news. He feared for the worst and an uncomfortable feeling of queasiness had settled deep into the pits of his stomach. 

He was jostled out his thoughts when Amelia returned once more to the group. His stomach plummeted even further when he saw the grave look on Amelia’s face. 

Amelia looked like she had been doused in a cold shower. She was shivering with disgust and rage at the monsters who were still under the rubble, her mind trying to figure out a way to break the news she’d just received to the other three.

Seeing Amelia like this had stopped the group from rushing Amelia into giving her answer. There was once more a period of no talking, the only sound being Amelia’s heavy breathing and the chirping of crickets. 

It seemed like forever before Amelia’s breathing had calmed down and she looked ready to continue. Taking in a deep breath the thing that the 3 were eager yet dreading to hear finally came.

“The Healers have just informed me of the full extent on Harry. I must say that it wasn’t… pretty.” 

There was a collective hitch of breath. Rufus who’d seen Harry getting examined looked a deathly pale colour, Saul meanwhile didn’t look to be faring much better either. Albus was by far the worst of the three. He looked like he was preparing to take a hit of seismic proportions, an assessment he would later look on as not that far from the truth.

“From the scans that they’ve taken he’s suffering from a heavily depleted magical core, a concussion, punctured lung, multiple fractured bones, internal bleeding, multiple improperly healed bones and on top of that a severe case of malnutrition. The fact that the boy is still alive is a miracle.” Amelia said in a detached tone.

In an attempt to hold her composure she’d slipped on her professional detached mask. 

It didn’t work.

As she spoke tears streamed down her freckle dusted cheeks. She was feeling distraught at the prospect of the boy suffering from such a brutal ordeal, especially after losing his parents at such a young age. Her heart broke at the thought of her beloved Susan going through something like that and vowed to herself that if those child-abusing monsters are put to justice no matter what. 

Rufus looked grim and his fists were clenching and unclenching in anger and pity at the boy. He found himself making a similar vow to Amelia. He sincerely hoped that he’d be the one to carry out their punishment law be damned.

Saul was an ugly shade of green and looked to be seconds away hurling the contents of his stomach. Whilst he was the Head of the Department of Mysteries, a position which had him dealing with the darkest magic known to wizard-kind, he had an especially low tolerance towards violence. Hearing of the injuries inflicted upon a child, by his relatives no less, was something that violated everything he believed in. He agreed that if it were any other person who’d suffered those injuries they’d be long gone. The boy surely was destined for greatness.

Out of all the reactions Albus trumped them all.

His face was crumpled into pure anguish. A decision which he’d pondered for the last near-decade had caused so much pain to a boy he vowed to protect. Minerva’s words from that night were now coming back to haunt him and he felt his knees start to give way. He was caught by a concerned looking Rufus. 

When he was sent a look of concern from the aforementioned man, he waved him off signalling he was fine. Rufus eventually let his gaze wander back to Amelia, though that wasn’t without sending him one last glance.

“Are we right to assume that he’s been brought to St. Mungo’s yet?” Rufus asked in a controlled tone which betrayed none of his raging emotions. He received a nod of affirmation from her.

With Harry now in the safe hands of the Healers’ at St. Mungo’s the attention of the quartet was now directed elsewhere. Harry’s future.

“Albus?” Amelia said receiving a nod to continue. “Where will Harry be residing now? I’m sure we all can agree that this… the place is not an option.” Amelia asked. She received a defeated nod in return. 

“The young boy is an important figure within our world. He’ll have a major role to play in the future and it’s up to us to have him prepared for what lies ahead.” Saul piped up, his first major contribution of the evening. 

Albus had a contemplative look on his face. Saul’s words seemed to have struck a chord with him, the possibilities that were presented to him were pointless. Perhaps he could right the many wrongs he had done to Harry whilst still being able to guide the boy.

“I agree with Saul. As the Heir apparent to the Potter Line, his part in our community is a major one. That along with him being ‘The Boy who Lived’ would grant him the power to change the world for the better.” Rufus said. Amelia nodded agreeing with his points whilst Saul looked at him appreciatively. “I believe he needs to be placed with a family that’s well informed on these things.” He finished.

Rufus looked like he was about to continue speaking but was prevented by a yawn that erupted from his mouth. This set of a chain of yawning from the other three. When Albus had stopped he made to remove his pocket watch from his coat’s pocket. His eyes bulged when he saw the time and quickly pocketed it.

“By the looks of it I believe that we should check in on Harry at St. Mungo’s one last time before we all retire for the night. Well, what’s left of it at least.” Albus’s last statement drew a wry and tired chuckle from the other three; all agreeing with his point.

Albus pulled out his wand and went to work on cancelling the privacy and notice-me-not charms. Whilst he was doing that the rest of the quartet got their wands in hand before apparating into the front lobby of St. Mungo’s Hospital. Albus followed not long after.

It was there that they were led into the room in which they were given an update on Harry’s condition as well as that of the Dursley’s.

They had scanned him once again and the results were very much the same. They had informed the small group that Harry would be needing to stay in St. Mungo’s for at least a month to correct all the damage that had been done on him. All of the broken bones required Skele-Gro, those that had healed incorrectly needed to be rebroken and again required Skele-Gro.

The punctured lung and concussion would require a weeks-worth of potions but, was otherwise easily fixed. The same could be said about the internal bleeding requiring nothing but a few days of him taking some Blood-Replenishing Potions.

The malnutrition was a much larger, uglier problem though. Malnutrition in Wizarding children wasn’t exactly a new phenomenon. It used to be a lot more commonplace during the older days. Muggles used to harbour fear and hatred towards magic and witchcraft, this fear had more often than not resulted in parents transferring that fear onto their children when they found out they were magical.

This would lead to a child being neglected and as a result malnutrition set in. Thankfully, the amount of time between their birthdays and them arriving in the Wizarding world was rather short thus limiting the effects of the parent’s neglect. 

A week of a strict potion’s regimen was all that was needed to have the child back to full health again.

The same unfortunately couldn’t be said about Harry.

The results of nearly a decade of neglect had resulted in him being more malnourished than any of the Healers had encountered. It would require a lot more than a weeks-worth of potions to make a dent on the damage wreaked upon him.

Amelia, Rufus, Saul and to a much lesser extent Albus thought that the Dursley’s deserved to be taught a very long and hard lesson about the damage they’d inflicted upon them.

Thankfully, or perhaps unfortunately for them, they weren’t in any shape to receive any ‘lessons’ let alone carry out a conversation. The Dursley’s had been found not that long after Harry. All were in a horrible state and things weren’t looking bright for them. Out of all of them, Vernon was by far in the worst condition.

On top of receiving the same injuries as his family had he’d been subjected to 3rd-degree burns all over the left side of his body, a result of being in the path of the magical backlash. The Healers were sure that if he were to survive this by some miracle, he’d most likely develop a tumour soon.

Magic was similar to Gamma (γ) rays and it was thought that it could affect people who weren’t familiar with it namely squibs and muggles. Vernon fit the criteria as he didn’t have a single ounce of magic in his body.

As the Healer walked away from them, they all agreed that it was time for them to go their separate ways. Though, before they parted, they all agreed that the situation that was Harry’s future needed to be decided in the upcoming days.

With that, all grasped their wands and twisted on the spot, all disappearing one after the other before the room was filled with nothing more than the steady sound of Harry’s breathing.

Over at 4th Privet Drive, the house which had tormented Harry ever since he’d entered there now laid in ruin.

A twisted sense of poetic justice lingered over the place. The demons were nothing more than a ghost and a dark memory of the past and were now a testament to Harry's strength in enduring them.

As the sun rose, it marked the end of a chapter of his past and gave way to light and hope that this next chapter would bring with it. With the help of 4 highly motivated individuals, his life perhaps wouldn't be the shitshow Harry had thought it to be anymore. Perhaps it was once more worth living after all.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: Well that's the second chapter done, and it was a pleasure to write. Please leave a review (constructive ones are always welcome) and possibly a kudos/follow if you enjoyed it. And if you guys were wondering this isn't going to be a Dumbledore bashing fiction there will be no/minimal bashing in this fic. I have always believed that Dumbledore was misguided and believed that he couldn't trust anyone, as Grindelwald was his friend, but he killed Oriana. And if he were pushed enough then he would change his opinion. In my opinion, McGonagall is too meek when it comes to Dumbledore and wouldn't dare speak out against him.

And please do check out WaskeHD’s work over at Archive of Our Own (AO3). The links to his works are here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23104360?view_full_work=true and https://archiveofourown.org/series/1662466

My most sincere thanks to KRUNKXSMASH for his outstanding work in his beta-reading. He’s the reason this story is where it is today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary  
> Harry gets hurt. (Understatement of the Century)
> 
> Harry's core gets unbound
> 
> Amelia Bones, Rufus Scrimgeour and Saul Croaker make Dumbledore see the light
> 
> Harry's removed from the Dursleys


	3. Diagon Alley

The sunlight slowly trickled across the crisp white linen sheets. It slowly crawled forwards illuminating the room with its bright presence and with that announcing the coming of a new day. The figure in the bed shifted once the sun hit his eyes wincing and turning away from it. He slowly rose out of the bed and slipped on his slippers and made his way towards the bathroom opposite his closet.

He carefully opened the tap and took a handful of water and washed his face of any germs and along with it the last remnants of sleep. He looked up into the mirror and encountered his reflection.

Harry had grown significantly in the last year, courtesy of the nutrition potions regimen he had partaken in ever since he had come to consciousness. His emerald eyes were still the same as ever, hidden behind a golden frame they glittered with a sense of mischief yet held a starling intensity. His hair was now a more controlled mess, and dare he say it was quite good looking on him. His cheekbones were more defined due to him eating a better diet whilst exercising a great deal too.

His body, however, was the most different of his features.

Where he used to be a measly 4 feet 5 inches (about 137 cm) he now proudly stood at 4 feet 10 inches (about 147 cm). His once scrawny and rather pathetic build once now much lankier, defined and overall decidedly healthier frame. Thinking back on it he owed much to Amelia and Susan for all these positive changes that had occurred in such a short frame of time.

Making his way towards his bed again he sat down on the soft mattress and he was soon lost in his musings of the last year.

When he had first arrived in Bones Manor, he had been a terrified little boy. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone but those he trusted, but he had been rather terrified at the sudden change of setting. Looking back on it he could admit that the Dursleys’ had truly done a number on him. After almost a decade of programming and conditioning, almost always negative reinforcement had caused him to be a shell of himself, without a personality.

It had terrified all four of them; Albus, Amelia, Saul and Rufus when the Healer had reported her findings to them. Harry had been suffering from a plethora of mental issues namely Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and he had also suffered in his social skills or lack thereof.

It had pained Amelia greatly when trying to explain to Susan why Harry wasn’t that willing to play with her let alone talk to her, after all her niece was barely 10 years old and wouldn’t understand the sensitivity and gravity that these situations held. Amelia herself had trouble believing how such a fate could’ve befallen on a child who had already sacrificed so much for peace in her world, though it was unknowingly.

Amelia had a strong urge to blame Albus for the decision to drop Harry there on that night. She reckoned that Harry would’ve done better in the hands of Augusta Longbottom. She had destroyed any semblance of self-confidence the boy held and on top of that had thrust upon the boy, her son and his father’s great legacy on him. At least with her Harry wouldn’t suffer from those mental disorders and the malnutrition and poorly healed broken bones. The only thing that stopped her, however, was the fact that Albus was taking this the most seriously of them all.

The illusion that his self-belief had offered in which he was capable of doing no wrong was seriously challenged on the day he the Healer had dropped that bombshell upon them. He had blamed himself, rightfully, for that night and had worked feverishly to fix the wrongs he had committed. His resolve to include other people in matters of importance like this were met with a sigh of relief from Amelia, Rufus and Saul and most of Albus’ colleagues. It was his relentless drive to fix the wrongs which he had committed that had allowed Harry to heal as fast, something Harry and Amelia would forever be grateful for.

Albus had adopted a grandfatherly role with Harry and had taken him in under his wing much to the surprise of everyone especially Minerva who had only been brought into the fray not too long ago.

It was Albus who had helped Harry with the constructions of his Occlumency shields which had allowed for him to process his feelings.

It had been Albus who had informed Harry of his mistakes, something that greatly impressed Harry and led the way for Harry to build feelings of admiration for the old man. Albus had been monumental in bringing back the childlike innocence that was missing in his childhood. But he truly couldn’t have done it without Amelia and Susan’s help.

Ever since the day which he had taken up residence in Bones Manor he had been welcomed with open arms by Amelia and Susan. They had gone out of their way to make him feel as comfortable as possible within their own home. Harry had looked back on his memories often and had seen how his mistrust in them had caused pain to them, yet they had never shied away from in their efforts to include Harry within their family. It was this that had eventually thawed the mistrust within Harry’s heart, and he would be forever, in the debt of Amelia and Susan.

Harry was suddenly snapped out of his musings by the yell of Amelia telling him that Albus had arrived into the wards. He quickly got out of his bed and grabbed the key to his Gringotts vault before making his way downstairs.

He was stopped abruptly at the foot of the stairs to see Amelia and Dumbledore along with someone else he didn’t recognize in deep conversation in front of him. He stood there waiting to be noticed until he decided to clear his throat which brought the conversation to a halt.

“Harry it is a pleasure to see you once again. Amelia’s already told you that we are bringing you to Diagon Alley, has she?” Albus asked he received a nod in affirmation. “Well then you must be wondering who the person standing right beside me is. Harry may I introduce you to Professor McGonagall, she is the Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts. She will also be teaching you Transfiguration and not to mention she’s also the Head of Gryffindor.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Professor,” Harry said whilst holding out his hand for her to shake. In a rare lapse of character that shocked the remaining occupants in the room, Minerva ignored his hands and engulfed him into a hug.

“Oh, Mr Potter it’s a pleasure to see you again. I was there on the day you were left with the Dursleys’ and I must admit that I am rather ashamed at myself not doing enough to dissuade Albus here from leaving you with the Dursleys’.” Harry attempted to cut in to assuage her concerns but, she wouldn’t have any of it. “But now that you are here, I must remark how you really do look like your father… well except your eyes. Those are Lily’s eyes.”

She now had tears in her eyes and Amelia and Albus were looking rather uncomfortable, having never seen her in such an emotional state before.

“Thank you, Professor. If it isn’t too much, would it be too much to ask if you were to entertain this boy with stories about my parents? I’m afraid I’ve already exhausted Amelia and Grandpa Albus of their stories.” Harry added the last bit in jest which elicited a watery chuckle from Minerva. She merely nodded her head.

“Well then Amelia we will talk about this later, I’m afraid myself and Minerva are running behind schedule if we’re to return Harry before dinner.”

“Alright, then Albus I won’t keep you any longer. Do send a Patronus if you are going to be late and it was a nice pleasure seeing you again Minerva. You’re most welcome to visit anytime soon.” Amelia added whilst smiling warmly at her. Minerva voiced her thank you before Amelia’s attention was once more turned to Harry. “Harry please do behave and follow Albus and Minerva closely. I love you ok and have fun and be safe.” Amelia said whilst enveloping Harry in a hug.

“I will don’t worry… Mum.” Harry added hoping that he hadn’t stepped too far. The smile on Amelia’s face spoke volumes as the woman was positively glowing. She kissed his forehead before ushering the trio towards the floo. Albus went as he grabbed a handful of black floo powder before stepping into the fireplace. Yelling the words ‘The Leaky Cauldron’ and throwing the powder into the fire he disappeared in a plume of teal smoke. He was soon followed by Minerva who did the same thing.

It was Harry’s turn and he flashed a nervous smile at Amelia before stepping into the fireplace. Amelia flashed on back and mouthed the words ‘I love you’ to him once more before he followed Albus and Minerva’s examples and once more disappeared into a burst of teal flames.

Amelia turned around and made her way towards Susan telling her it was time to go to her best friend’s Hannah Abbotts’ house. Closing the front door, the ring of the door shutting echoed around the empty manor once more.

The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley London

The Leaky Cauldron was perhaps the most famous magical bar within Wizarding Britain. It was after all that separated muggle London from the magical Diagon Alley. Almost everyone, no matter their blood status, the first sight of the Wizarding World was of Diagon Alley. It was practically a rite of passage signalling that another young magical had entered their world. The passing of Professors within the pub was certainly not something that would cause those within the pub to take second glances at.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts coming into Diagon Alley, however, was certainly something that drew the attention of those inside. Seeing the sight of Albus Dumbledore, perhaps the greatest Wizard of his generation, come tumbling out of the floo in a heap of soot was certainly interesting, to say the least. The floo flared in a teal light again as the familiar visage of Minerva McGonagall appearing in her tartan robes stepped out of the floo with much more dignity than Albus had. Minerva turned around in time to catch the next person who came tumbling out of the floo.

Taking her time to brush the boy of any soot on him the occupants got their first look at the boy. The boy was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and emerald green eyes. His hair was a styled mess of black hair which gave him a roguish look and on the right-hand side of his forehead. Quite a few people took a double-take at the scar. ‘Could it be true?’ They thought.

“Welcome back Mr Potter.” Tom the barkeep said. This garnered quite a loud murmuring and the trio now found themselves as the centre of attention of the room.

“Thank you, Tom, for the welcome but I’m afraid I must bring Mr Potter to get his supplies we’re already late as of right now.” Harry and Minerva nodded emphatically to prove Albus’s point. Tom’s eyes widened at what Dumbledore implied meaning. Dumbledore merely nodded at him and the trio soon found themselves under a Notice-me-not charm. Thanking Tom, they made their way to the back exit of the pub before they found themselves facing a wall.

“Are you sure this is the right place Professor? It seems like we’ve got into a…” Harry was cut off by the sight of the bricks of the wall rearranging themselves into an archway and the vision that was presented before him caused his jaw to drop.

In front of him was a bustling street filled with Wizards and Witches of every age, all of them were donning rather strange Victorian clothing, and this was saying something after all he knew Dumbledore’s love for garish robes. As they made their way through the ‘Alley’ his disbelief at some of the items on display was most certainly amusing. He was particularly taken with the Quidditch Supplies where the ‘Nimbus 2000’ was on display. He nearly relieved his stomach of his breakfast when he heard saw some of the potions ingredients on display at the Apothecary. At the end of the alley stood a building made out of the finest white granite. On top of the building were letters made of pure bronze gleaming in the sunlight that said ‘Gringotts’. Standing guard on either side of the doors were two tiny ugly creatures adorned in gold armour with what he assumed was the Gringotts emblem blazoned on the breastplate, whose practicality Harry questioned, holding a halberd that was nearly as tall as him.

As they made their way towards the door Harry noticed a golden sign plastered on the door. It read:

‘Enter, stranger, but take heed of what awaits the sin of greed. For those who take, but do not earn. Must pay dearly in their turn. So, if you seek beneath our floors. A treasure that was never yours, Thief, you have been warned, beware of finding more than treasure there.’

Harry shivered slightly at the poem but, before he entered the bank, he thought he saw a twitch of amusement flash across the guards face before it was once more hidden behind an emotionless façade.

It would be fair to say that when Harry heard of a Goblin bank for the first time, he imagined that it would look like some of those caves that the Goblins lived in within the Lord of the Rings, a reference that few people really understood. It would’ve been an understatement to say that he was blown away at the luxury and elegance that was on display.  
Before him was a foyer that had very high ceilings with a golden chandelier lighting up the room. There were elegant roman pillars of granite holding the ceiling and the floor was made of the finest marble. On either side of the foyer were teller desks each made of wood and gold and overlooking the bank was one massive teller stall which stood in front of a grand staircase leading to the second floor.

“Harry will you please follow me please.” The voice of Minerva towards one of the free counters on the side but, couldn’t help but notice that Albus had gone towards the head teller’s stall. He and Minerva reached the Goblin and were greeted by a goblin with a disinterested expression on his face.

“State your purpose for this visit.” He said in a dispassionate voice.

“We’d like to remove some money from the vault of Harry Potter,” Minerva said. The Goblin’s eyebrows raised slightly before his eyes flickered briefly towards the scar on his forehead.

“Key.” The Goblin grunted out before Harry dutifully handed him the key. The goblin looked at the key briefly before nodding and handing the key back. “Griphook will be bringing you to your vault.” He said in dismissing both of them. They both turned around to see a small Goblin trudge up to them.

“If you can follow me please.” He said whilst leading them past the Head Teller stall, which Dumbledore had left already, to a heavy gold door. As they made their way past the door Harry noted that the luxurious aesthetic of the foyer was slowly fading away into the dark gloomy atmosphere of a coal mine. They walked for a good five minutes going further down before they were met with a minecart. Griphook took a lamp from seemingly out of nowhere and placed it on a stand. He turned around to look expectedly at McGonagall and Harry to get in which they obliged. They had barely settled in before the cart jetted off down the tunnel.

Harry was in awe at the sights he was seeing, the tunnel led to an open gorge where there were countless of lines like this one with carts speeding across them at seemingly random intervals. The ride was filled with twists and turns and at one point he thought he saw a flash of fire before he saw what looked like a dragon. It was another 10 minutes before the cart started to slow down before it parked in front of a vault with what he knew to be the Potter crest. In the middle of the crest stood a keyhole which Griphook asked for before inserting the key inside. When he turned the key, he heard a clicking noise come from the door and saw the Lion in the crest roar before settling to its previous position. Griphook took a step back and the door slowly swung open.

The gleam of light that met Harry’s eyes nearly blinded him. Before him was 3 huge mountains of coins that filled the whole vault. All of them were stacked in neat piles, sorted into Golden Galleons, Silver Sickles and Bronze Knuts. Making his way into the vault he noticed a lack of personal effects in the vault when he voiced this to McGonagall, she flashed him a placating smile.

“Harry, I believe that Amelia hasn’t explained this to you as she didn’t know it but, I thankfully am as I was friends with your Grandparents, and they had something similar set up for James. This is your Trust Vault and it holds a set amount that refills each year. If I remember correctly this holds ₲15,000.” She looked back at Griphook who nodded in affirmation. “You would normally gain access to your main family vault at your age of majority, which is 17 but, you the last of your line and as such at the age of 14 you will take an inheritance test which will decide which rings you will pick up and you will become Heir Apparent for those houses. When you reach 17 you will be taking up the position as Head of House.” She said in her usual teacher’s tone. She looked down and saw Griphook smirking at her and then looked at Harry who had a look of awe on his face.

After receiving a pointed look from McGonagall Harry moved inside before grabbing a couple of handfuls of Galleons before also going to get fewer amounts of Sickles and Knuts into his own moleskin pouch that Rufus had given him for his birthday.

The return journey was just as entertaining for Harry. He reckoned that this was as close to a muggle rollercoaster ride that the Wizarding world could get too. Harry voiced his thoughts to Griphook, that they could charge good money for people to take rides on these things, in jest but his eyes widened when a gleam entered the eyes of the Goblins. He wasn’t left with much time to ponder that before the cart came to a halt and he found himself back in the same tunnel they came from.

His attention was once more grabbed by another Goblin who appeared out of nowhere and asked them to follow him. Looking around he saw that Griphook was nowhere to be seen but, he simply shrugged his shoulders and just walked down the path.

He found Albus waiting for the two of them in the foyer with the most serene smile on his face. He offered a simple ‘Shall we?’ before they made their way outside of the bank. They all agreed that they should get Harry’s wand first. It was another long walk to the other side of Diagon Alley before they stopped before a wooden shop with dusty glass windows that had a bunch of wands on display. He looked on top of the wooden door and noticed a sign saying ‘Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C’. Harry’s eyes took a double-take at the date which elicited a chuckle from Albus and a grin from Minerva.

Harry pushed the door open and a bell sounded. The building was rather small, and it was to Harry’s surprise empty. He looked around him and noticed that the place was rather simple with a couple of chairs’ on the customer’s side before it was separated by a counter which he assumed was where Ollivander was. Behind the counter stood innumerable shelves which held an ungodly amount of dusty narrow boxes he assumed were wands. There was a staircase leading to the 2nd floor which also held more wands.

His musings, something he found himself to do a lot these days, was interrupted by the sound of a wheel sliding. A ladder had appeared out of nowhere and he found a wiry old man with wide eyes and pale skin slide down the ladder. “Good afternoon Mr Potter. I’ve been expecting you.” The old man said.

“Um… good afternoon to you too sir.” Harry got out.

“My name is Garrick Ollivander and I will be fitting your wand today. It seems like the rumours are true and you do indeed have your mother’s soulful eyes. It seems like it was only yesterday that she walked in here to buy her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow and a unicorn hair core. Great wand for charm work. Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches, pliable with a Dragon heartstring core. A little more to the powerful side and excellent for transfiguration. Your father preferred it but, as my grandfather always said it’s the wand that chooses the wizard.” He said to Harry.

His eyes suddenly snapped to Albus. “Why hello Albus a pleasure to see you again. From my Grandfather’s notes Applewood, 11 inches, pliable with a Phoenix feather core. Has my grandfather’s wand been of good use Albus?” He questioned.

“A pleasure Garrick to meet you. Yes, you are correct on that count and also yes your grandfather’s wand has served me perfectly thank you very much. He was one of the finest wand smiths and it’s a pleasure to see how the talent has been passed on.” Albus said in appreciation.

“My thank you for the compliment Albus but perhaps we should stop dallying about and get on with the pairing you with a wand Mr Potter?” Both Albus and Harry nodded in affirmation.

For the next half an hour they found that the job of finding a wand that would bond to Harry was a harder task than they had anticipated. It was much to McGonagall’s surprise when she arrived back with Harry’s other supplies, save a pet, to see that they were still going on finding Harry a wand. When Harry failed to bond with yet another wand Ollivander paused and looked apprehensively at Harry whilst muttering I wonder.

He went deep inside to the back of his shops before emerging from its depths with a wand in hand. Albus’ eyes widened at the wand and watched in anticipation as it was handed to Harry carefully. Albus’ eyes widened at the wand in Harry’s hand. A glow surrounded Harry as he felt a warm rush as magic crept its way through his body. The warm glow spread throughout his body engulfing him in a golden glow before it reached his scar and flared out in a vicious red colour.

Harry felt the magic run through him. It felt like he had found something that could channel his magic once more, but it felt weird like it was foreign to him. The almost pleasant glow he received from the magic running through him was soon overtaken by a sharp and acute pain coming from his scar. Throwing his wand onto the floor he grasped his forehead and immediately felt the pain retreat.

Ollivander and Albus both shared a look before Albus motioned to Garrick. “Minerva, Mr Potter may I borrow Albus for a moment, please. There’s something that I need to discuss with him and don’t worry dear it’s regarding Harry’s… predicament.” Ollivander asked them both. Receiving a nod and a shrug from Minerva and Harry he signalled Albus to follow him. Harry was confused at the queer look Minerva was sending them.

“Well, Mr Potter this has certainly been the most interesting visit to Ollivander’s in a long time.” Harry nodded unsure of where this was going. “As you may know I had the privilege of teaching both your father and your mother during the entirety of their school years. What you may not know was that I was the one to bring them to Diagon Alley both times and I must remark that they too had the same difficulties in finding a wand to match.” Minerva said in an effort to distract Harry from his pain.

“Really professor?” Harry gasped out in wonder. Whilst he certainly wasn’t starved of stories about his parents, it was a favourite past time of Harry listening to the adults in his life regaling stories about his parents too him, any morsels of information was welcomed with open arms.

“Yes indeed, it was most certainly entertaining watching James wait for his wand. Patience wasn’t one of his virtues. In fact, dear old Garrick wasn’t the one to find his wand but rather, in his frustration, he had summoned a wand that had bonded to him much to Garrick’s surprise. Lily, however, was another story. She had been most insecure about not finding a wand and I had to reassure her many times that she did indeed belong here and that she was magical. Her wand bonding was perhaps one of the most special I’ve ever witnessed. The things I say told me all I needed to know about her.” Minerva said eyes glazing as she got lost in old times’ past.

“And what did you see in her?” Harry asked very much enraptured in the tail she was spinning.

“She had the makings of a great witch. Her work ethic and control of her magic were most impressive, and she was destined for great things in life. Even in her short life, she has already accomplished a very much magnificent thing.”

“And what may that be?” Harry breathed out.

“She gave birth to you Mr Potter. And if half of the things Albus has said are to be believed you are a most extraordinary young man who, I have no doubt, will do his parents proud.” She said whilst looking Harry in the eyes.

Harry was saved from the endeavour of replying to such a high compliment by Albus and Ollivander entering the room. Harry noted that Ollivander had a look of trepidation on his face but, Albus had a look of determination on his face that had Harry feeling slightly nervous though he didn’t know why.

“Mr Potter I and Albus have come to an agreement.” He said reaching his hand into a pocket. He pulled out a wand that looked unlike any of the others he had seen. It was black in colour and had ribs running throughout the entire wand. He wasn’t sure about it, but he felt a certain pull towards the wand, urging him to take it. Ollivander nodded towards Dumbledore to continue the explanation.

“Harry, my boy, this particular wand has been under my service 45’, however, I believe that my ability to perform magic with this wand has been decreasing and decreasing. The start of this coincided with the day you accepted the offer to Hogwarts, and I believe that it is trying to tell me that it is time for you to take what is rightfully yours.” Harry opened to his mouth to retort but, was beaten to it by Ollivander.

“Mr Potter this is particular wand was actually made by one of your ancestors and has been out of the family for a long time. I believe that you won’t find a better wand suited for you than this particular one.” Seeing his resistance starting to crumble he pushed on. “And if this wand doesn’t match you, we can simply keep going until we find the right one.” Harry just nodded his acceptance.

Ollivander held out the wand for Harry to take. Taking the wand into hand Harry immediately felt a surge of power. His magic sang as Harry felt like he had felt a part of him that he never knew was missing reunite with him. One that he knew he wouldn’t feel complete without anymore. The power washed over him and be felt a sense of safety and protection and strangely enough a supreme feeling of confidence, one that he never knew he possessed.

Albus couldn’t believe that he was seeing. The moment the wand went into Harry’s hand a burst of Magical energy making everyone stagger back. Harry was glowing a golden colour but much to Albus surprise there were tendrils of black within the golden. The magic soon encapsulated Harry and did something he had never seen before. The magic started to gather and for a few seconds a black cape with a hood covered Harry and Albus could see what looked like a necklace with a familiar symbol on its form. It soon fizzled into nothing and then Harry looked up.

Harry was confused, to say the least at the looks he was receiving at the adults. “What happened, sir?” Harry asked. This broke the atmosphere bringing out a small smirk from Minerva and a full-on belly laugh from Albus.

“Nothing my boy but, I see you have inherited your father’s flair for the dramatic,” Albus said with the twinkle in his eyes returning with a vengeance. “I believe that there’s the matter of procuring your familiar before we will return you to Amelia again.” Harry nodded looking rather excited. “Well, Minerva, can you please lead Harry on I need a moment with Garrick.” Nodding she lead Harry towards Eeylops Owl Emporium.

“Albus am I to assume that you will want to discuss this later.” Receiving a nod, he continued. “Where shall we meet and when Albus.”  
“Is at 9 p.m. at Bones Manor convenient for you? I will ask Amelia to key you into the protective enchantments myself.” Garrick voiced his affirmation. “Okay then Garrick, I’ll see you later and pleasure meeting you again.”

“Likewise, Albus and do take care,” Garrick said before Albus made his way towards Eeylops too.

Eeylops Owl Emporium was certainly a bird enthusiasts dream come true. Near the entrance was a piece of parchment that included all the types of owls on display and information about them which Harry paid close attention too. Near the exit was a desk where a middle-aged man stood and behind him were shelves with all sorts of assortments from Owl food to perches. And then after that, there was a vast array of enclosures that each housed a single owl. Walking through the isle’s Harry was rather overwhelmed with the vast variety of owls within the shop. There were Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy owls all of which in his opinion was really nice but, nothing caught his eye. As he made to tell Minerva, who’d been following him he heard a hoot from above one of the enclosures.

The attention of him, Minerva and the salesclerk were captured by the graceful and silent flight of what looked like a snowy owl. She flew a loop around the shop before heading towards Harry. He instinctively held out his arm and the owl landed with surprising elegance landed on his arm without much preamble. The owl bumped its head onto Harry’s chest affectionately before peering into his eyes.

Harry was immediately taken when he saw those amber orbs and quickly looked at Minerva. “It appears that she’s taken a liking of you Mr Potter.” She said with a grin, much to Harry’s and the newly arrived Albus’ shock.

“Well, then shall we take her to the cashier Harry,” Albus said his voice ringing across the shop. Harry nodded and placed her onto the counter with great care.  
“How much is she sir?” Harry asked the stupefied salesclerk.

“Oh… umm… please take her for free.” He mumbled out nervously. He paled at the incredulous looks he was receiving. “Hedwig here has been in our shop for the last 6 years and has refused to let anyone approach her beside when getting feed. Alright then if you insist on paying then she’ll be 9 Galleons.” He relented when their looks wouldn’t budge. Harry handed the money over before making his way outside of the shop. Before Harry left, he noticed Minerva and Albus shared a conspiratorial look before they turned towards the counter again.

Harry was absentmindedly petting Hedwig when he saw Minerva and Albus emerge with a golden owl perch much to his surprise. “This is your birthday present Harry, from both me and Albus.” Minerva expanded. “But I’m afraid I must be making my way back to Hogwarts now Harry, so I bid you farewell, and I’ll see you again in September.” Harry and Dumbledore saw her walk away before Albus piped up.

“Shall we get you back to Amelia?” Receiving an emphatic nod, they made their way towards the Leaky Cauldron before they disappeared through the wall archway once more.  
Unbeknownst to Harry when he was sound asleep a serious conversation was going to take place once more. Albus hoped that he could sort this out as quickly as possible but, he knew very well that simple wasn’t common in the life of Harry Potter.

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AN: This is the third chapter of the story and apologies for the slow update but, I’ve been rather swamped with schoolwork lately. A couple of deviations from the Canon works. In the books Dumbledore’s original wand is unspecified but, I used Applewood as according to Pottermore; They are suited to an owner of high aims and ideals, as it mixes poorly with Dark Magic. It’s said the possessor of an applewood wand will be well-loved and long-lived… and they possess an unusual ability to converse with other magical beings in their native tongues which I believe matches Dumbledore very well. Harry getting the Elder wand and Albus giving it up will be explained in the next chapter.

The next chapters will be coming out relatively quickly as I’ve already established a narrative/plot I’m satisfied with. But, once again I hope you enjoyed this one and I’d be appreciated if you favourite this and follow it and constructive reviews are always welcome.

Until next time thank you for reading.

P.S. The conversion rate for a galleon (₲) is ₲1 = £13. The symbols for Galleons will be (₲) Sickles ($) and Knuts (₭).


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